In case you missed it, Idols judge Dave Thompson was slated in a recent Mail & Guardian Thoughtleader article. You can catch that article HERE.

that was obviously after OUR whole debacle with him and fellow judge, Randall Abrahams. You might be interested that Dave responded to the Mail & Guardian in the letters section. Here it is:

Does Basson have an agenda?

I’m intrigued by Adriaan Basson’s assumption that Idols contestants, or at least the one he’s defending, are “defenceless” (February 13). They enter willingly, and present themselves to the judging panel.

 

DT is in the HOUSE!!

These contestants not only have every right to disagree with us but in fact are encouraged to launch their own verbal attacks. If they’re not inclined to engage with us directly they have another opportunity, post-audition, to enter the “rant and rave” room and vent their frustration or anger in any language they want, which is filmed for later broadcast.

The judges certainly have no opportunity to defend themselves, just as we can’t be protected from the dozens of websites and blogs that daily spew forth their distaste for us. Most of them threaten a lot more than just wanting to moer us. In fact, I would have expected Basson’s article to appear on one or other showbiz gossip site rather than in the M&G.

I’m unconvinced that Basson has really leaped to this individual’s defence. I’m inclined to believe he has a personal agenda against me or Idols in general. If this is the case, he’ll need to get in the queue with all the other armchair critics who insist they never watch Idols. — Dave Thompson, Idols judge

Nice. But the best part MUST be the reference to 2oceansvibe as a “showbiz gossip site.” Come on, Dave, it’s SO much more than that. It’s not a showbiz gossip site. It’s a LIFESTYLE. It’s a vibe that I want you to be a part of. Come play, Dave. Please? [showing frown, with bottom lip sticking out]

Herewith, the other letters that came in following the M&G article:

Thank you, Adriaan Basson, for your article on the humiliation of the “boy from Ceres” on Idols (“Angry little fat man”, February 13). Talk about trampling on the downtrodden. Talk about smug power thrills. It was devastating to witness the Idols judges’ total lack of emotional intelligence, delivering a self-glorifying tirade of abominable abuse. It reeked of sadism. — Colette van Niftrik, Cape Town

And:

I applaud Basson’s article on Idols. I also found the denigration of vulnerable young people by the show’s judges appalling. Idols is supposed to promote talent, but instead it is used as a vehicle for the self-promotion of a self-satisfied panel of parochial nobodies, best described as uncouth, ill-mannered and ignorant. The kindest thing that can be said about Randall Abrahams is that his obvious inferiority complex is well justified. — George Mackintosh, Hout Bay

Awesome.

[thanks shaun]